Wording on T-shirt leads to ejection at Sussex County commissioner meeting
NEWTON − He sat quietly in the aisle seat of the second row, but his hands were not crossed across his chest - he didn't want to hide the three-word message on his T-shirt which, within a few minutes of the meeting being gaveled to order, led to his ouster.
Kenneth Collins of Andover verbally protested at Wednesday's meeting and threatened a lawsuit over "freedom of speech," for his ejection from the Sussex County Board of Commissioners meeting. The message on his shirt said "[Expletive] Bill Hayden," the commissioner who was not present at the meeting. Hayden has been the subject of a "stolen valor" controversy over claims he falsely says he's a former Navy Seal, wounded in action on a covert mission in Africa.
Commissioner Director Jill Space, who presides at board meetings, asked Collins to leave, noting the "obscene nature" of the T-shirt and the fact that seated beside him were two young girls, ages 9 and 6, along with their father.
Collins protested loudly that his shirt was "freedom of speech," and that he would not leave. Even when told by County Attorney Douglas Steinhardt that such a shirt is not free speech in such a setting, Collins remained seated. It was only when Space asked sheriff's deputies - who are always present at board meetings - to escort Collins from the room that he left.
The Andover resident did not resist the deputies and returned several minutes later with a shirt, buttoned to his neck.
On Thursday, Space said the issue had become the "situation" of Collins being near the front of the meeting room and being adjacent to the children.
She said "he's worn that shirt a couple of times before, but he was at the back of the room and nobody could really see it. This time, it was up front and the young girls ... it just wasn't appropriate."
Hayden has become a controversial figure on the five-member board. The issues began behind the scenes last year, but came into the public sphere last fall when he began tossing about allegations of "stolen county funds" from the food pantry warehouse operated by volunteers using county-owned space at the rear of one of the county buildings on Spring Street.
County officials have said there are no irregularities and that the groceries which are "purchased" for the food pantry are paid for directly by a donor to the pantry. Essentially, the pantry uses a credit card to order groceries through ShopRite which delivers directly to the warehouse. The credit card bill is paid by the donor and no money changes hands.
That same delivery truck also makes home deliveries to other ShopRite customers in the New Jersey/New York area. The county food pantry then provides some food directly to clients with the remainder being shared with not-for-profit pantries run by local governments, churches and other not-for-profit groups in the county.
Space said on Thursday that Hayden has missed four of six commissioner meetings so far this year, including four regular board meetings plus two meetings dealing with the county budget. In addition, Hayden, who is assigned to be a liaison to the county Planning Board has missed the last two meetings of that board.
Asked after the meeting about any state law or county policy about "unexcused absences" by a board member possibly leading to the board declaring a vacancy, Steinhardt said there is nothing in state law and, presently, only a successful recall campaign could be used to declare a vacancy.
Space, however, said there is an effort in the state Legislature to amend the law to allow for a board or commission to declare a vacancy under certain circumstances.
She noted that Hayden has said he is worried "his car would be bombed" if he showed up for a meeting. In recent past, he has appeared prior to a meeting, but left, "once when he claimed he had a kidney stone and once when he said he was having chest pains."
The board has already approved a censure motion, citing several issues, but can't take further action.
Among other allegations in the "stolen valor" case are that Hayden has filed for veteran exemptions on state income taxes and may have also filed for other veteran benefits. State agencies have not commented on whether there are ongoing investigations of such claims.
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Hayden has said at meetings that he has asked the federal Department of Justice as well as New Jersey Attorney General and county prosecutor's office to investigate the food pantry as well as "other issues in the county."
Steinhardt is also a state senator from his hometown district which does not include any of Sussex County.
At Wednesday's meeting, Space asked the attorney if he has been contacted by any agency about any investigation and he replied he has not nor does he know of anyone who has been contacted by investigators.
In an email to the Herald a couple of hours after he left the Wednesday night meeting, Collins said he had filed a complaint "with the USDOJ for the violation of my civil rights by State Sen. Doug Steinhart and County Commissioner Jill Space after they had me removed from tonight’s public meeting for my '(----) BILL HAYDEN' T-shirt."
In his response he wrote: "I was accused by them of disrupting their meeting with my t-shirt, but hardly anybody had noticed it but them, and I was not disruptive in any way whatsoever."
Collins said he waited for the second public comment period "and thanked them for violating my civil rights and giving me a valid reason to file a lawsuit against them. I am looking for an attorney.“
Although not in his e-mail, Steinhardt thanked Collins for his comments and of the threatened lawsuit said: "I look forward to it."
During the meeting, Commissioner Chris Carney read - and the board unanimously approved - a proclamation declaring November as "Veterans Month in Sussex County. He asked for all veterans in the audience to stand for the reading and about 20 people did.
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Shirt at Sussex County NJ Commissioners meeting leads to ejection
